Learning to Compete: China’s Efforts to Encourage a “Reverse Brain Drain”

Abstract

In analysing China’s efforts to encourage a ‘reverse brain drain’, David Zweig highlights the variety of levels of governments and institutions that promote returnees. He categorizes and describes some of the policies adopted by the central government to promote the return of highly qualified Chinese, including financial incentives, improving the flow of information and bringing people back for short-term visits. He examines measures that local governments take to attract talent in competition with other cities and regions, as well as institutional efforts, e.g. by universities, government-funded research units and state-owned enterprises. Zweig reviews paradigm shifts in national level policies, reporting, for example, about the latest acknowledgment that, while return is highly valued, migrants can even “serve the nation” from abroad. Based on different surveys that he conducted, Zweig also assesses whether government policy is key in encouraging people to return and finds that market forces, facilitated by national government reforms, are the most important factor bringing people back in the private sector: A tremendous market awaits those who learned a valuable skill or received access to advanced technology while overseas. Moreover, China has created an environment conducive to foreign direct investment which has attracted many multinational companies, creating excellent jobs for overseas mainlanders who return. The Chinese Academy of Sciences seems to be succeeding as well, although there are questions about the quality of the talent that they attract: do only the ‘second best academics’ return?